


Oklahoma, Unfortunately (Old)

by SheWinsHim



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Oklahoma, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:00:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26871811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheWinsHim/pseuds/SheWinsHim
Summary: Nico is in the middle of nowhere and completely lost.  Luckily, he runs into someone at a gas station who might be able to help him.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo & Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 12
Kudos: 88





	1. A Gas Station Encounter

God, Nico hated the Midwest. Did Kansas count as the Midwest? Was he even still in Kansas? It seemed like they’d been driving for hours, but how large was Kansas even? Experts remain divided on all three questions. And by experts, Nico meant himself and Hazel because no one in their right mind would study, live, or even visit wherever the fuck they were. For miles and miles it had just been rolling field of wheat and corn after rolling field of wheat and corn. They were almost out of gas, their phones were both dead, and they only had $10.56 between them (Hazel had counted).

“There’s a town up ahead!” Hazel exclaimed, almost jumping out of her seat. Nico squinted and, surely enough, he could see the tops of a few short buildings emerging from the horizon. “Civilization!”

“I think you have to have a little more than just 6 buildings and a general store to be considered civilization,” Nico shot back, but it had no bite. He had to admit, seeing any kind of humanity would be welcome at this point. A green sign emerged from behind a crop of corn, and Nico read it aloud. “Welcome to Brenton, Oklahoma. Health, Family, and Prosperity.”

“Sounds… lovely,” Hazel muttered.

After a few minutes, they pulled into town- which was admittedly more than 6 buildings and a general store- and made a sharp turn into the gas station. Nico took a few looks around and promptly turned to Hazel. “Stay in the car, and keep the doors locked.”

“What? Why?” she exclaimed, pouting. “I want to go buy gummy worms.”

“First off, we have God knows how many miles to Austin and only ten dollars. We can’t waste it on snacks. Second, I can see 4 Trump signs without turning around,” Nico explained. Hazel glanced around, frowned, and slumped down further in her seat. He felt bad, but he knew he was right. Nowhere this red would likely take well to a young black woman. “I’ll be back in a moment. If you have to use the bathroom, just stay by the car and we can go together when I get back-”

“Wait!” Hazel called out as Nico stepped out of the car. She tossed him his jacket. “Put that on and zip it up.”

“Hazel, it’s like 90 degrees-”

“Your shirt,” she stated. Nico glanced down. Maybe today was the wrong day to wear a t-shirt with a huge rainbow skull that said ‘Be gay, do crime’. He nodded, zipping up the black leather jacket quickly.

Hazel didn’t say anything else, so Nico tossed her the keys and made his way into the gas station’s convenience store. “10.56 on pump 4,” he told the cashier, about to hand her all of his and Hazel’s money. His stomach grumbled and she raised an eyebrow.

“Anything else?” she asked. Nico glanced back at the snack isle for a second, his eyes falling on the gummy worms.

“No-”

“We’ll have these too, please,” someone said behind him, placing a plethora of snacks and candies on the counter. The cashier glanced at the pile, then up at Nico and the strange young man.

“That’ll be $25.43,” she said dryly. The stranger flashed Nico a blindingly wide smile (his eyes were sky blue, Nico realized, and his hair was as gold as the wheat that grew around them like weeds) and handed the cashier an assortment of bills and coins.

“Thank you,” the stranger said sing-songedly. He had a slight southern drawl, Nico realized. It’s cute, said another, traitourous, part of his brain. Nico was jolted out of this train of thought by being handed most of the pile of snacks by the man.

“Huh?” Nico exclaimed, almost dropping them.

“I said we’d better get going soon,” the man explained, shooting Nico another smile. He led Nico out of the store, and Nico just followed.

“Who are you?” Nico asked once they were outside, shoving the bags of candy into the strangers arm. “And what the fuck?”

“I’m Will Solace,” the man said. “And I noticed you looked a little… lost.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Nico huffed, sweating a little from a combination of the Oklahoma midday heat and his black leather jacket.

“First off, you gave the cashier an oddly specific amount- which meant that’s either all the money you have or all the money you can afford to spend right now. You’re obviously hungry, but didn’t get any food, which only reinforces my first theory. Plus, your phone is dead; I saw you check it, probably out of instinct, but it didn’t turn on-”

“Alright! I get it! But for your information, I’m not lost. Just a little… turned around at the moment,” Nico stated, feeling oddly defensive. “What’s in it for you, though?”

The man- Will, looked a little taken aback by this. “What do you mean?”

“Why did you pay for my gas and buy me these? What do you want?”

“What makes you think I want something?”

“You’re too nice,” Nico said, his eyes narrowing.

“I couldn’t have just done this out of the goodness of my heart?”

“No.”

“That’s awful negative-”

“So I can just take these,” Nico snatched the candy back from Will. “And leave? Free of charge?”

“Well-”

“Okay, great! Thanks for the gas and food,” Nico exclaimed, flashing Will his best imitation of Will’s smile. He turned to the car, Hazel sitting on the hood, giving him a strange look.

“Wait!” Will called out. Nico turned back around, the grin on his face genuine this time. He quickly wiped it from his face when he realized what he was doing. “I- I actually… I need a ride.”

“Okay. And?” Nico knew he was being an asshole, but he didn’t know this guy. No matter how cute he was, or how sad his deep blue eyes looked, or how he was pretty much Nico’s type (this was the traitorous side of Nico’s brain talking again). “You’re some random guy who paid for my gas and snacks. If I owe you anything, it’s about $25. You could be dangerous- could be planning to kill me and steal my car.”

“I- I swear, I’m not. Please,” Will begged. He glanced behind Nico and turned pale. Nico turned to look as well, and saw a red pickup truck pulling into town. “I need to get out of here. Now.”

Nico looked at the pickup truck, then at Will, then at Hazel. Hazel gave him a look back. “What are you doing?” the look said.

“I’ll pay for your gas,” Will pleaded.

“I don’t know,” is what Nico responded with a shrug.

“Help him, you idiot,” Hazel ordered with a hand gesture.

Nico sighed and looked back at Will, who was practically trembling. “Fine. Get in the car. But we’re going to Austin, and I’m not taking any detours or anything like that for you.”

“Thank you so much,” Will said at lightning speed, hurtling to the backseat of Nico’s car. Hazel hopped in the passenger seat, glancing back at Will and out the rear window as Nico peeled out of the gas station.

“There’s a man who was in a red pickup truck yelling at us,” Hazel remarked. She looked directly at Will. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“Uh- I don’t… He was… I-” Will stammered, simultaneously blushing and turning pale.

“Kidding. I’m Hazel Levasque, and this is Nico, my brother. You are?”

“My name is Will Solace. It’s lovely to meet you, Hazel.” Will extended his hand and Hazel shook it firmly. Nico just scowled, glancing at them in the rearview mirror. “Nico Levasque, huh? It has a certain ring to it.”

“Di Angelo. Not Levasque,” Nico corrected.

“Nico di Angelo… That sounds oddly familiar,” Will muttered. Hazel and Nico shared a knowing glance moments before he exclaimed, “Like Hades di Angelo? Di Angelo Oil?”

“Yup. Hades is my father,” Nico admitted gruffly.

“What’s the son and daughter of an oil magnate doing in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma with no cash?” Will asked, his face the perfect picture of confusion.

“Well, we-” Hazel began.

“We’ll tell you once you tell us why you were running from that guy,” Nico stated. Will turned red and pale again, which Nico had to consider a special talent at this rate. Hazel frowned and clicked her mouth disapprovingly.

“You said you were going to Austin, right?” Will said, awkwardly staring out the window.

“Yep.”

“It just so happens that I also have to get to Austin, so if you wouldn’t mind taking me. I would be more than happy to pay for your gas, of course,” Will mumbled.

“You have yourself a deal!” Hazel responded, butting in before Nico could say anything.

“You would if we knew where were going. I don’t see any signage, our phones are dead and we don’t a charger,” Nico explained.

“You can use mine to navigate for now and...” Will reached into his pocket and pulled out a short white cord. “I have a car charger.”

“Perfect!” Hazel smiled, plugging in her phone. “To Austin we go!”


	2. Son of A Country Singer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrive in Oklahoma City for the night. Late-night conversations on the couch reveal some secrets.

“We’re going to have to stop in Oklahoma City for the night,” Nico announced, pausing the music that Hazel and Will had been loudly singing along to. The sun hasn’t gone down quite yet, but it was getting lower in the sky. “I’m getting tired, and unless one of you suddenly learned how to drive, we aren’t going much further safely until I get some sleep.”

“I’ll find a hotel for us to stay at,” Hazel offered, typing something into her phone. Will looked at her bewilderedly. 

“Wait what?” Will asked. “How exactly are we going to pay for said hotel? Y’all have $10 and I’m not exactly rolling in cash.”

“I’m a di Angelo,” Nico offered up after a heartbeat. “I have plenty of money in the bank- I just need somewhere to withdraw it.”

Will looked even more confused. “Then why were y’all driving around with just $10?”

“We were robbed,” Hazel answered, earning her a glare from Nico. “We were traveling with a friend of Nico’s sister. We stopped at a diner off the highway about an hour from Wichita, let him watch our backpacks. We get back with the food and he’s gone, our backpacks with him.”

“We’re lucky he didn’t take the car,” Nico admitted, his eyes trained on the road ahead. “Also lucky I had some cash, my ATM card, and our phones on us.”

“Why didn’t you just withdraw more cash then?”

“The closest Wells Fargo was back in Wichita, so we decided to just keep going. Assumed there would be one in between Wichita and Oklahoma City. And you know how that turned out,” Nico stated grimly.

“Oh. Wait so what did your sister say about her friend being such an ass? Why are you going to Austin? Why were you in Wichita? Why were you driving from Wichita to Aust-“

“If you ask another question, I will drive this car into a tree,” Nico threatened. Will gulped audibly, but kept his mouth shut. “Good. Hazel, hotels?”

“I found one only 30 minutes away and it has an ATM nearby,” Hazel responded, setting the navigation there.

“I thought most hotels don’t let you book rooms with cash-“ Will said as they rode an elevator up to their rooms, a room card in each of their hands.

“They don’t usually,” Nico answered simply. “It helps when you give them a lot of it, though.”

“Oh.” They arrived at a door, which Nico opened and ushered Hazel and Will inside. “Wait, you only got one room?”

“The ATM had a daily withdrawal limit of $500. We still have to buy clothes, food, and god knows what else,” Nico pointed out while Hazel flopped down on one of the two beds. The room was pretty big, with a living room and kitchenette area separate from the bedroom. Nico knew he probably should have sprung for a cheaper room, but sue him- after the last 24 he just had, he deserved a little splurge. Will glanced between the sole remaining empty bed and Nico, opening his mouth. “The couch is a pullout.”

“Oh,” Will said again. “Can I shower first?”

“Go ahead,” Hazel mumbled, her voice muffled by the pillow she had buried her face in. Nico mumbled something in agreement, mimicking his sister by falling face first into the bed next to her.

Will grabbed his small backpack and dropped it on the bathroom’s tile floor, shutting and locking the door behind him. For a second he stared at himself in the mirror, almost not recognizing the person staring back. His usually immaculately done hair was messy and dirty, streaks of dust running across it. His clothes were similarly covered in dust and he realized he should probably buy some new ones now that he could actually choose what he wanted to wear. New clothes, new haircut, new life. To be completely honest, it was all a little daunting.

For a second, he thought he might cry. Start openly sobbing in the bathroom of a strange hotel in a strange city with two strange people he didn’t really know just in the next room. Thinking about it made him want to cry even more, so he took a deep breath and buried those thoughts deep, deep down.

When he emerged from his shower, he found Hazel sitting in bed watching something on the TV. Nico was nowhere to be seen. “Nico popped out to the store to get us toothpaste and stuff,” Hazel explained before he could even ask. “Do you want to watch some TV?”

Will nodded, sitting next to her on the bed. He left about a foot of space between them, and tried to focus on the cooking show Hazel had chosen. “Your brother-”

“Is an asshole? Is a lot to handle?”

“I was going to say he doesn't trust me, does he?”

Hazel gave him a weird look. Will thought it might have been sympathy, but he wasn’t sure. “As a rule, he doesn’t usually trust people. He didn’t want to leave me alone with you, but also didn’t want to leave you alone in the room with our stuff, and didn’t want to let me walk alone at night in a strange city.”

“I- I wouldn’t-“

“Oh, I know. I told him you were harmless as a fly,” Hazel explained. She must have seen Will’s expression because she continued, “Will, I’ve known you for less than a day, and I’ve seen you cry three times. All to different Beyoncé songs.”

Will blushed and buried his head in his hands. “I was hoping you didn’t notice.”

“If it makes you feel any better, Nico definitely didn’t notice,” Hazel assured. It did make Will feel better, for whatever reason. “Not that he doesn't care enough to notice or anything, he was just focused on driving and you’re a quiet crier...“

Will chuckled and cracked a smile. “I get what you’re saying.” Something lighting up in the corner of his vision caught his eye. “Your phone is…” Will motioned towards Hazel’s phone where it was resting on the nightstand.

Hazel swore, quickly grabbing it and accepting whatever call had appeared. “Frank, I’m fine.”

Through the phone, Will could hear a garbled voice presumably belonging to Frank. He couldn’t make out any words, but Frank definitely sounded worried.

“You didn’t tell him, did you?” Hazel asked suddenly, a dark cloud passing over her expression. More muffled and garbled sound emitted from the phone. “Ok, good. Frank, I got to go, but I’m fine, I promise. I’ll text you in the morning.” After a few words from Frank, she hung up, tossing the phone aside with a sigh.

“Your boyfriend?” Will inquired.

“Nope,” Hazel said, popping the ‘p’. “Just a good friend.”

“Do you want him to be your boyfriend?”

Hazel glanced at Will, surprised. “Yes. I think we’re both a little too much of cowards to actually say it, though.”

“Oh. I wouldn’t know much about that, I suppose.”

Hazel let out a laugh. “The chicks just line up for you, I suppose,” she joked. Will flushed red again.

“That’s- that’s not what I meant,” Will stammered out. Hazel let out a very loud and deep laugh.

“I’m just joking, Will,” she assured, patting him on the back. Both turned their heads as the front door clicked open and closed. They paused for a moment before getting off the bed and going into the front room.

“I got groceries!” Nico called out, dropping a few plastic bags on the counter. “Well, some food, but mostly toothpaste and stuff. Chargers.”

“Did you get-” Hazel began.

“I got your shampoo,” Nico said with a smile. Hazel grinned, grabbed the bottle, said something involving thanks, and hurried off to the bathroom.

Will stood awkwardly at the counter opposite to Nico. “How was the store?” he asked, watching as Nico began to cook something.

“Good, all things considered,” Nico replied. “Are you hungry?”

“Not at all,” Will lied. His stomach grumbled loudly, betraying him.

Nico cracked a smile. “Do you like grilled cheeses?”

They both sat on the couch, eating grilled cheese sandwiches and watching the same dumb cooking show that Will and Hazel had been watching earlier. Apparently both he and his sister had a penchant for overly dramatic culinary competition shows. The only difference is that Nico seemed to have enough expertise to actually comment on what was happening, 98% of which went completely over Will’s head.

The narrator said something about one of the contestant’s dishes. “This idiot is going to burn his filet if he isn’t careful,” Nico muttered. Hazel was snoring from the other room having fallen the moment her head touched her pillow. “Who do you think is gonna get eliminated this round?”

“Uh… the one making the fish?”

“They’re all making fish. That’s the challenge.”

“Oh. The dude with the red hat then. He gives me loser vibes,” Will stated with faux confidence.

“Can I ask you a question?” Nico inquired after a few moments of comfortable silence. Will nodded, shifting anxiously on the couch cushion. “Who was the man in the red pickup truck back in Brenton? The one who was yelling at you as we drove away?

Will briefly considered lying, but nothing came to him. Nothing believable anyways. “My uncle.”

“Why-” Will could see the gears turning in Nico’s head, and heavy weight settled over his heart.

“I ran away from home,” Will answered before Nico could ask his question. “Hasster. Small town- really small. I moved there when I was 5 and believe it or not the largest city I can remember going to is Ponca City. I didn’t leave home much until… well, now.”

“I’ve never heard of it,” Nico said frankly.

“It’s giant compared to Hasster,” Will said with a laugh. “Tiny compared to here. Probably miniscule compared to somewhere like New York or Los Angeles.”

“Is that why you left?” Nico asked softly. Will didn’t realize that somehow they had drifted closer together and their hands were almost touching. He also didn’t know why this made his heart go sideways. “Wanted to see something better?”

“Yes and no,” Will replied, turning his head away from Nico’s gaze. He was probably blushing, but preferred to pretend he wasn’t. “My family is a little controlling. They had expectations for me and I just couldn’t fulfil them. I told them that, and they didn’t listen, and I don’t know.”

“Should I be worried they’re gonna call the cops on us?” Nico asked suddenly, sounding more than a little worried.

Will almost laughed at that idea. “They wouldn’t, and I turned 18 last week. I’m pretty sure that means I can legally go where I want, right?”

Nico didn’t look completely convinced, but nodded. “Sure.”

“Anyways, yesterday I packed a bag and earlier today I left when everyone was at church,” Will explained. He briefly remembered stopping at the edge of town, his gaze lingering for a moment before he stalked away on the dirt road. It had been a 3 hour walk from Hasster to Brenton, the entire time spent constantly checking over his back to make sure he hadn’t been followed.

“And you were going to just hitchhike to Austin? Do you know how dangerous that is?”

“Well-”

“And why Austin? Why not New York or Los Angeles or some other big city? Houston’s closer for God’s sake.”

“My mother’s in Austin,” Will said so quietly Nico almost didn’t hear him.

“Oh.”

“She… she isn’t like my uncle or my dad. She’s a country singer. I think. I don’t remember her at all, but my dad has showed me pictures. It’s a little funny,” Will said, forcing a smile. “He always would say that she had chosen a sinful lifestyle and that she was going to hell and stuff like that but I could tell he missed her. After all, why didn’t he just throw away those pictures?”

“Do you know where in Austin she lives?”

“Well, I stole this from my dad,” Will explained, pulling a photograph out of his bag. It was a polaroid of a smiling blonde woman who looked startlingly similar to Will. They had the same smile, Nico realized. Will flipped the photo over, handing it to Nico the address scrolled on the back in black sharpie. “I don’t know if it’s her address, but it’s something.”

Nico gingerly inspected the photo, recognition dawning in the back of his brain. “Wait, what did you say your mom did?”

“My dad always said she was a country singer.”

“Your mom is Naomi Solace?” Nico explained, his eyes wide.

"I guess. I know Naomi's her first name. Why?"

"Your mom is one of the pioneers of contemporary alt-country," Nico explained, pulling up her wikipedia page. "Naomi Soleil Martin, known by her stage name Naomi Solace, is an American country singer-songwriter. Look."

Will took the phone from Nico's hands. The picture of the woman was certainly his mother, but Will almost couldn't believe what he was reading. "My mom won a Grammy?"

"She won a lot more than just a Grammy. Go to the ‘Awards’ section,” Nico ordered. Will dutifully scrolled down.

“Why didn’t she-”

“Win the second Grammy? Honestly, I don’t know. I feel like she was snubbed for that one.”

“Why didn’t she keep me? Why did she leave me with  _ him _ ?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe I do know what I'm doing? Probably not.


	3. Rewrite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm rewriting this work!

I am rewriting this work. The new work can be found under the same name.

**Author's Note:**

> Idk what I'm writing at this point. Thank you to @drarryobs for beta reading this dumbster fire.


End file.
